Page 126 of The Highlander Steals a Virgin
“I’m nae dead yet,” Leighton muttered, and Robert laughed as he helped him up from the cot.
As they disappeared down the hall, Amara caught sight of Daisy again, perched beside Mabel with a cup of broth.
The girl was smiling.
Amara blinked back tears for the second time that day.
“We’ll rebuild,” Rhys said beside her. “I swear it.”
She turned toward him. “Together?”
His answer was a kiss, deep and slow, filled with promise.
The world felt quieter now. Not healed—no, not yet—but hushed, like the wind itself was catching its breath after all that had happened.
Amara stepped out into the courtyard beside Rhys, her hand tucked into the crook of his arm. The sun was rising, shy and golden, as if peeking in to see what was left.
She looked around at the devastation. Smoke curled from the outer wall. Ash and mud stained every stone path, every rooftop. Soot still hung faint in the air. Yet amidst the wreckage, she could see movement—men clearing rubble, women handing out bread, children cautiously peeking from cellar doors.
It wasn’t gone. It wasn’t over. It was… surviving.
“I dinnae think we ever planned a remodel,” Amara said lightly, bumping his shoulder.
Rhys barked a laugh. “Aye, well. I suppose the draught problem is solved. Half the bloody roof’s missin’.”
She smiled, leaning her head against his shoulder for a moment as they passed a shattered archway. “I always thought yer keep was a bit too pristine anyway.”
“Pristine? That’s insultin’, lass. This keep’s older than me grandfaither’s scowl.”
They rounded a corner where Daisy was perched on a low stone wall, legs swinging. The girl beamed at the sight of them and ran forward with arms wide.
Rhys scooped her up and hoisted her high onto his shoulders.
“Papa! Guess what?”
“What’s that, love?”
“Lady Amara said she’ll never leave us again!”
Amara’s breath caught.
Daisy peeked down from her perch. “Dinnae ye say that, me lady? At the shelter?”
“I…” Amara’s cheeks flamed. “I may have said somethin’ to that effect.”
Rhys turned slightly, eyebrow raised. “Is that so?”
She shrugged, fiddling with the ribbon on her sleeve. “Why would I leave now?”
He looked up at Daisy, then gently lowered her down from his shoulders.
“Run ahead, mo chridhe,” he said. “Go tell Mabel we’re takin’ a walk around the grounds.”
Daisy nodded and darted off, humming to herself.
Rhys turned back to Amara, his expression unreadable.
She blinked. “What?”
